Château du Plessis-de-Vair is located Vair-sur-Loire (common delegated Anetz) in Loire-Atlantique. Castle Vair rents its rooms for private functions.In the twelfth century, powerful fortress surrounded by a moat, it inspires novels legendary Knights of the Round Table and the Holy Grail. In the fifteenth century castle replaces this feudal stronghold. It remains this time two round towers, dovecote and archives. In the seventeenth century, the castle became the seat of the Marquis of Châteaufromont (Anetz, Saint-Herblon, The Rouxière); the Marquis de Vair, Claude Cornulier (1633-1700), Chairman of the Parliament of Brittany, advisor of Louis XIV built the two square towers, chapel, orangery and two pavilions of the entrance. In the nineteenth century is built the central building and a row of light shows. The monument was listed as a historic monument in 1980 and 2003.
http://www.frenchchateau.net/chateaux-of-pays-de-la-loire/chateau-du-plessis-de-vair.html

Château du Plessis-de-Vair

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Travel through 800 years of history at the Château of Clos Lucé
During the middle age (1214 – 1417) the domain belongs to the Amboise family, who gave the land of Cloux as a gift to the religious Cistercian order of Moncé, an abbey founded in Limeray, under the protection of the lords of Amboise.
The saga of this pink bricks and freestone domain, built over gallo-roman foundations, begins under the reign of Louis XI, in 1471. Given by the king to his favourite Etienne le Loup, an ennobled kitchen man, the Château du Cloux was surrounded by fortified walls. The place is then bought by Charles VIII on July the 2 nd 1490 to become the summer residence of the kings of France.
The king turns the fortress into a pleasure castle and builds an oratory, true jewel of the gothic architecture, for his wife Queen Anne de Bretagne. The young duke of Angoulême, future king Francis I, spends a lot of time in this château.
At the end of the XVII century, the Château du Clouxis named Château du Clos Lucé. It’s recovered by the Amboise Family who saves it from destruction during the revolution, and then, in 1854, it becomes part of the Saint Bris Family.
For more information, download "Château du Clos Lucé: Leonardo da Vinci’s home" app on Appstore.
At the Château du Clos Lucé, dive into French History
1471:
King Louis XI gives the domain of Cloux, known today as the Château du Clos Lucé, to a former ennobled kitchen boy named Etienne le Loup. He built the Château du Clos Lucé with bricks and freestone, as well as one of France’s most beautiful dovecotes, untouched until today. Inside you’ll hear the flapping of the thousand birds it used to shelter.
1490 :
The Clos Lucé becomes the summerhouse of the kings of France. Charles VIII asks for a chapel to be built for his young wife, Queen Anne de Bretagne, who comes to mourn the loss of her young children. The chapel is decorated with four frescos, including the Annunciation, which was painted by Leonardo’s pupils. The Virgin of light, « Virgo Lucis », above the door, may have given the site its current name: Château du Clos Lucé.
1516-1519 : 
King Francis I and Louise de Savoie invite Leonardo da Vinci to Amboise. 
King Francis I, passionate by Leonardo da Vinci’s talent, names him “ Premier Painter and Engineer and Architect of the King" and offers him the enjoyment of the Château of Clos Lucé, located only a few meters away from the Château d’Amboise. The national archives in Paris own a certificate for payement mentioning the pension from Francis I to Leonardo da Vinci « To Master Lyenard de Vince, Italian painter, the sum of 2000 ecussoleil, for his pension of two years ».
Leonardo spends the last three years of his life at the Château of Clos Lucé and works on several projects for the king of France, surrounded by his students. He welcomes prestigious visitors like the Cardinal of Aragon, great men of the kingdom, Italian ambassadors and fellow artists present in the king’s court, like Domenico da Cortona, known as the Boccador and Chambord’s future architect.
An underground passage between the two castles allowsboth men to meet frequently. Today, only the first meters are still visible.
After a fascinating relationship between Leonardo da Vinci and three French Kings(Charles VIII, Louis XII and Francis I), the Italian Master passes away on May the 2 nd 1519 in his room at the Château du Clos Lucé.
Imagine Leonardo da Vinci’s journey through the Alps in 1516
Facing the young artists of the Italian Renaissance, Raphael and Michelangelo, on fall 1516, Leonardo da Vinci accepts the invitation of the king at 64 years old and travelsthrough the Alps on the back of a mule with some of his pupils, including Francesco Melzi and Battista de Villanis his faithful Milanese servant. He also brings with him his major paintings: Monna Lisa, the Virgin and the Child and St.John the Baptist as well as his notes, sketches and manuscripts, later gathered in the codex, today spread throughout the world.
According to an account by the secretary to the Cardinal of Aragon, who was visiting the Château du Clos Lucé, they saw, "the painting of a Florentine woman, done from life, at the instance of Giuliano de' Medici." Painted between 1503 and 1514, this work is an example of Leonardo da Vinci's famous sfumato technique, in which the edges are blurred and softened.
The Clos Lucé - Mathurine's kitchen
Visit the rooms of the château and imagine Leonardo living and working there
Leonardo's bedchamber looked out on the Château Royal d’Amboise. It was in this house that he wrote his will, bequeathing his manuscripts and notebooks of drawings and sketches to his beloved disciple Franceso Melzi. He passed away in his bedchamber on 2 May 1519.
The bedchamber of Marguerite de Navarre, the elder sister of Francis I, has been fully restored and furnished in the 16th-century style. Her portrait by François Clouet, official painter to the king, is on show in one of the display cabinets.
The oratory of Anne of Brittany, the wife of Charles VIII, is decorated with four frescoes, including one of the Annunciation painted by disciples of Leonardo. Above the door, the Virgin of Light, Virgo Lucis, is thought to have been the inspiration for the château’s new name: Le Clos Lucé.
On the ground floor of the building, find the Leonardo Da Vinci's living workshops. Discover the ambiance of the bottegas that were typical of the Renaissance in his artist's studio. In the library, facsimiles from the Institut de France and ancient texts are aligned alongside an astonishing cabinet of curiosities. Swept away, an audiovisual production that uses “ghost technology” is projected.
In this artist’s house, from his workshop, Leonardo da Vinci thinks, invents and conceives royal requests:
- The ideal city of Romorantin destined to become the capital of the kingdom.
- The double helix staircase of the Château de Chambord that he inspired.
- A network of locks and canals connecting the Val de Loire to Lyon,for a swifter access to Italy.
- The draining of Sologne’s swamps
- The staging for spectacular royal celebrations, he imagines many automatons like the « Lys flower spitting lion ».
- Movable houses for the itinerant court.
« Because the soup is getting cold, etcaetera. » this sentence would have been found in one of Leonardo’s writings. Imagine entering the unchanged kitchen and see Leonardo getting warm next to the high stone hearth whileMathurine, his servant from Tours, prepares his vegetarian meal.
Leonardo has a healthy nutrition, according to him « sobriety, healthy meals and a proper sleep will keep you in good health».
The four visitor rooms in the basement provide insight into the comprehensive knowledge of Leonardo da Vinci the engineer. 3D animations and 40 models show the diverse range of Leonardo da Vinci’s intuitive grasp of engineering: aeroplane, automobile, helicopter, tank, and more.
In Leonardo’s garden: Learn how nature inspired his work
Self-taught man, Leonardo da Vinci is one of the firsts to invent experimental science. He elaborates a new way of learning, away from his books, by observing nature and finding his answers in it.
At Le Clos Lucé, Leonardo’s garden was imagined the same way: all the answers to the questions about the Master are here, accessible to children and grown ups.
The trees, plants and even the moving water described on the codex and paintings come back to life in this garden dedicated to nature. Rocks, caves, streams, waterfalls, misty effects reminding the sfumato technique… Here, even the slightest details of his work are brought to life.
Walk around the pond surrounded by centuries-old pines, Italian cypresses and yews. There, admire madonna lilies, yellow irises, horned violets, European alders, cyclamen repandums, and of course, the famous Mona Lisarose.
As Leonardo used to say: « It’s all here. »
This unique open-air museum is born thanks to the competition of a two years research on a corpus of science collecting all of Leonardo da Vinci’s work on nature.
In the Park Leonardo da Vinci, experience the creative universe of the Master
As you walk, you meet Leonardo the engineer, Leonardo the visionary and Leonardo the painter and architect. In the park, climb aboard the assault chariot, action the aerial screw, manipulate the multi-barrelled gun, sail on the paddle boat and walk on the revolving bridge and the twenty meters high double-span bridge, all crafted the original way. Because the models are the actual size, they offer an authentic experience to both children and adults. Look at the forty translucent canvasses suspended to the trees, each one three to four meters tall.
Discover the bright faces, the beautiful bodies, the mechanics of life, the technical projects of the ideal city... Let the voice of Jean Piat, from the ComédieFrançaise, guide you as he plays the role of the Master throughout your visit.
The Leonardo da Vinci park is a unique journey among the genius’s pieces of work.
10 years of creating and restoring
Works carried out over the past 10 years :
2003 
The external facades of the chapel, as well as the corner turret housing the spiral staircase are restored. Creation of the Parc Culturel Leonardo da Vinci, animated by 20 life size models of the inventions of Leonardo da Vinci, 40 giant canvases illustrating paintings and drawings of the master and 8 interactive terminals in a protected 7 hectares wooded park.
From 2004 to 2007 
A major restoration campaign, directed by Arnaud de Saint-Jouan, chief architect of historic monuments, led to a four year work on the walls of the castle and of the XV century priory where the renaissance restaurant is today.
2008
The Château du Clos Lucé creates a new place: « Leonardo’s Garden », dédicated to Leonardo da Vinci and nature, holding sustainable development values.
2010 – 2016 
A complete inner restauration campaign is set to finalize Leonardo da Vinci’s residence restoration, just as he knew it. The first part 2010 – 2011: restoration of Leonardo’s bedroom and the adjoining one of Marguerite de Navarre. The second part 2012 – 2014: restoration of the monumental dressed stone stairs.
Leonardo da Vinci's living workshops
Leonardo da Vinci’s workshops put the final touch on the immense restoration project led by the Saint Bris family. 
Located in a 100 m2 space on the ground floor of the building, these three rooms – previously closed to the public – have been restored with the aim of immersing visitors in the abundant creativity and the work environment that reigned at the time. Shadow and light, a recurring theme for Leonardo da Vinci (and theorized in his A Treatise on Painting), guide each guest through a day in the life of the Master, from morning to night. In each room, the décor has been recreated with incredible attention to detail: original frescoes repainted in pigments used during the Renaissance, furniture produced from plans from the era and stained glass with small circular panes that bathe the rooms in the captivating atmosphere of shadow and light beloved by the Master.
Two years of research and renovation, 30 people and 15 trades were required to restore Leonardo da Vinci’s workshops, library and study at Le Clos Lucé.
http://www.vinci-closluce.com

Manoir du Clos-Lucé

The inhabitants are called Armagnois or Allemagniens (not Allemands French: Germans).
Geography
Allemagne-en-Provence is located about 50 km northeast of Aix-en-Provence and 25 km west of Castellane. Access to the commune is by road D952 east from Saint-Martin-de-Bromes to the town then continuing northeast to Riez. There is also road D111 starting from the town and going east to Montagnac-Montpezat. Road D15 also follows a convoluted route south from Valensole to the town. There is a network of small country roads covering the commune. About 30% of the land is farmland with the rest mountain slopes and forests.
Hydrography
The commune is located at the confluence of the Montagnac torrent and the Colostre river, 36.3 km long, which flows southwest into the Verdon river. There is a large network of streams feeding into the Colostre throughout the commune.
In the 19th century, the village was frequently inundated by floods caused by storms with floods sweeping down the mountain and swamping the village streets.
Natural and technological hazards
All of the 200 communes of the department are in a seismic risk area. The canton of Riez to which the commune belongs is zone 1b (low risk) according to the deterministic classification of 1991 based on historical earthquakes; and Zone 3 (moderate risk) according to the classification probability EC8 of 2011. The commune also faces exposure to three other natural hazards:
Forest fire
Flooding (in the valley of the Verdon)
Landslide: the commune is almost entirely covered by a medium to high risk
The commune is at risk of technological origin due to the transport of dangerous goods by road. The county road D952 can be used for the road transport of dangerous goods.
The prevention plan for foreseeable natural risks (PPR) for the commune was approved in 1998 for the risks of flood and earthquake.
The town was subjected to a natural disaster in 1987 when there was a mudslide.
Localities and hamlets
In addition to the village, the town has two hamlets:
Saint-Antoine
Puberclaire
Neighbouring communes
Toponymy
The area appears for the first time in texts from 429 in the Chronology of Lérins. The etymology of the place has attracted many assumptions, especially to keep away from the Alemanni, now rejected by scholars for half a century. The old form Alamania, noted in 1182, leaves little doubt and indicates a formation on an ethnic name by the Alemanni (with the suffix -ia) and perpetuates the memory of a colony or a military post of these people present before the great invasions.
Among the former conjectures dating from the Franco-German rivalry in the late 19th and the beginning of the 20th century was the denial of a connection between the name of the village and Germany. There is a possibility of a Gallic goddess of fertility Alemona venerated by the Roman garrison installed on the site of the present castle, or Armagnia (a bad spelling dating from the 13th century) which comes from area magna meaning "great plain of gravel".
The commune is called Alemanha Provença in Provençal according to the classical standard and Alemagno de Prouvènço according to standard Mistralian.
The locality La Moutte close to the D952 and east of the village refers to a Motte-and-bailey castle which has now disappeared. Notre-Dame to the west of the village on the D15 is also from a small hill which had a chapel.
History
Allemagne and its lords
Around the year 1000 there were two castles in the commune: at Castellet and La Moutte. The two other castles (Notre-Dame, Saint-Marc) came later.
The Motte-and-bailey castle of Moutte was fortified for the first time in the second half of the 9th century: built on a platform of 450 to 500 Sq. M, two residential buildings were constructed: one using the ancient technique of murus gallicus. This building of 30 Sq. M is surrounded by a gallery on two sides, the other building is about 50 Sq. M. The two were deliberately burned shortly before the year 1000, to backfill the mound again to raise it by about 2 metres. The second construction consisted of a single building of 54 Sq. M, which caught fire in 1010 during an attack. It is possible that the construction of Castellet castle corresponds to the destruction of the first castle.
The lordship of Allemagne belonged to the Castellane family from the 13th to the 15th centuries, then it was the Oraison.
The Castellanes
The lordship of Allemagne became the property of the Castellanes in 1218 on the occasion of the marriage of Agnes Sarda (or Spata) with Boniface IV de Castellane. The same year Agnes Spata granted franchises to the villagers. The lordship of Allemagne was a barony around 1280.
On 15 January 1331, Boniface de Castellane, son of Boniface, Lord of Allemagne and Constance, married the daughter of Albert Blacacii, Lord of Beaudinard.
A small castle was built on a hill south of the village of Castelletum de Alamania. In the 14th century it fell into the hands of bandits - the Chamisard - who made it their base of operations for robbing the neighborhood. To put an end to it, the inhabitants of Riez united and drove the Chamisard to the gatehouse which they quickly demolished thereafter. An Agreement to desist was signed on 17 June 1417 by Boniface de Castellane, Lord of Allemagne which said that the Lord would abandon his pursuits against the community of Riez for the demolition of Castellet.
In the 15th century, the former community of Castellet, separated from Allemagne before the crises of the 14th centuries (the Black Death, the Hundred Years War) was joined to that of Allemagne, because it had become too depopulated.
It was in 1440 that, through a testament of Boniface IX de Castellane, the barony of Allemagne was separated from land belonging to Castellane and assigned to the eldest son of the testator, Antoine. The latter's son, Boniface X, succeeded him in 1472 and married Marguerite de Forbin.
His son, François de Castellane-Allemagne, Baron of Allemagne, Baron of Allemagne, enlarged the castle at Allemagne and died on 28 January 1523.
Their son Melchior de Castellane-Allemagne, Baron of Allemagne, never married and bequeathed his property to Nicolas Mas, his nephew, on condition that he bear his name and arms. A leader of the Protestant party, he was killed in 1560 during the Wars of Religion during a fight on his land. He enlarged and embellished the castle of Allemagne.
The Battle of 1586
In August 1586 Leaguer Captain Hubert de Vins besieged the castle in Allemagne where the baroness was alone with her garrison commanded by the Lord of Espinouse. She resisted for 16 days and gave her husband Nicolas Mas-Castellane time to come up with the Protestant army.
He arrived in early September with the support of Lesdiguières surrounded by men from the lords of Oraison, Jerante Senas, Vintimilles Tourves, Forbin-Janson, and others - all enemies of De Vins. On arriving around Allemagne, Lesdiguières seized the heights and all the pathways in the area but just missed the encirclement of the ligueuses troops. De Vins then abandoned the defences that had held out for 16 days, and prepared for battle on the hill of San Marco. The battle began on 5 September 1586. The Baron of Allemagne committed to action at the head of his volunteers. The Leaguers managed to open a passage to Riez where they were home, pursued by the Huguenots. One of the last arquebus shots struck the Baron of Allemagne in the head and killed him on the bridge of his castle (5 September 1586). His widow, Jeanne de Grasse, presided at his funeral and executed eleven Catholic prisoners over his grave. It was nevertheless an important Protestant victory: the Leaguers lost 900 to 1200 men (killed, wounded and prisoners) and 18 flags of the 22 they had. The majority of prisoners had their throats cut at the news of the death of Baron of Allemagne. Twelve others were executed the next day on his grave.
The Oraisons
Alexandre du Mas de Castellane-Allemagne, Baron of Allemagne (1583-1612), son of Nicolas, married Martha d'Oraison in 1610. In 1612 Alexandre du Mas had a quarrel with Annibal de Forbin, Lord of La Roque and a duel ensued. The two duelists were put back to back, with their arms tied and fired to be both fatally struck. Their property was seized by the Queen Regent, who gave that of Alexandre to his brother Jean Louis who then gave them to his niece Gabrielle du Mas which ruined the confiscation. After a childless marriage to Antoine de Villeneuve, Marquis des Arcs, she testated it in favour of his cousin André d'Oraison.
Marthe d'Oraison was the founder of a convent of Capuchins at Marseille. She took the habit without taking the vows on the death of her husband. She then devoted herself to the poor at the Hotel Dieu de Paris where she died in 1637 and was buried in the Cloister of the Capuchins Saint-Honoré.
André d'Oraison (a German cousin of Gabrielle du Mas), Marquis d'Oraison, Baron of Allemagne on the death of Gabrielle du Mas de Castellane-Allemagne, married Gabrielle Gianni La Roche. They had three children, one of which, Madeleine married Jacques Louis Ancezune in 1699.
The Varages
On 24 November 1718, Madeleine sold the Barony of Allemagne for 216,000 livres to Jean-Baptiste Varages, the king's secretary at the Court of Auditors Marseille since 16 February 1712.
During the Revolution, Joseph Francis Varages, Baron of Allemagne, officer in the Angoumois regiment, adjutant to the General of Villeneuve, was wounded in Toulon defending the city on the royalist side in 1793 (see Siege of Toulon). He then emigrated and his property was declared national property. He did not return to France, ruined, until the Restoration.
With his son Alexandre de Varages, Baron of Allemagne (1815-1891), who died at Aix-en-Provence a branch of Varages-Allemagne. He made a will in favour of Paul d'Allemagne, grandson of Major-General Claude d'Allemagne, already Baron of the Empire, who, therefore, took up Arms of Varages-Allemagne (Azure, two lions combatant of gold bearing a star of the same)
French Revolution
The patriotic society of the commune was created during the summer of 1792. In 1793, the castle was designated to be destroyed but escaped demolition.
19th century
In the second half of the 18th century the Faience industry (tin-glazed pottery) was thriving in Allemagne and this continued into the 1820s. The style imitated that of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie.
20th century
In 1930 a cooperative built a distillery for manufacturing perfume.
Until the middle of the 20th century vines were cultivated in Allemagne and covered several dozen hectares. The wine was produced for home consumption and was sold in regional markets. This culture is now abandoned.

Château d'Amboise

Château Gaillard has a long history. In 1496, King Charles VIII returned from Italy and wanted to create gardens such as he had seen in Naples. Enlisting Dom Pacello de Mercoliano, sometimes called the inventer of the art of gardens, Charles created the first Renaissance gardens in France. The château later passed to King Louis XII, and ultimately to King François I.
The Gaillard gardens included the first orange trees in France. Think of the Orangerie in Paris and the Orangerie at Versailles. They both came later.
Dom Pacello also created the variety of plums that are known today as Reine Claude (Queen Claude), named for Claude, daughter of Louis XII and wife of King François I. (In English these plums have the much less romantic name of greengage.)
Today, Château Gaillard is still known for its gardens. It is lovely to wander through the gardens, and you can even bring a picnic. The visit may include the gardens, the Orangerie (with 50 varieties of citrus), an "olfactory cave," a large-scale model of the royal domain in 1500, a bar offering organic "bio" orange juice; and the 16th century château. The château has been restored and includes period furnishings, stained glass windows, Renaissance fire places, and frescoes of citrus trees and fruit.
Permanent exhibitis focus on the history of the first Renaissance gardens, the history of citrus, and information on the restoration of the Royal Domaine.
A map at the entrance shows the various walkways and paths that you might want to explore.
While many of the more famous châteaux of the Loire valley will be crowded and buzzing with energy, Château Gaillard offers respite from lots of activity. Many visitors comment on the peace and relaxation they enjoyed there.
https://francetravelplanner.com/go/loire/amboise/see/gaillard.html

Château-Gaillard (Amboise)

The Château de Chenonceau is a French château spanning the River Cher, near the small village of Chenonceaux in the Indre-et-Loire département of the Loire Valley in France. It is one of the best-known châteaux of the Loire valley.
The estate of Chenonceau is first mentioned in writing in the 11th century. The current château was built in 1514–1522 on the foundations of an old mill and was later extended to span the river. The bridge over the river was built (1556-1559) to designs by the French Renaissance architect Philibert de l'Orme, and the gallery on the bridge, built from 1570–1576 to designs by Jean Bullant.
An architectural mixture of late Gothic and early Renaissance, Château de Chenonceau and its gardens are open to the public. Other than the Royal Palace of Versailles, it is the most visited château in France.
The château has been classified as a Monument historique since 1840 by the French Ministry of Culture. Today, Chenonceau is a major tourist attraction and in 2007 received around 800,000 visitors.
History
The Marques family
In the 13th century, the fief of Chenonceau belonged to the Marques family. The original château was torched in 1412 to punish owner Jean Marques for an act of sedition. He rebuilt a château and fortified mill on the site in the 1430s. Jean Marques's indebted heir Pierre Marques found it necessary to sell.
Thomas Bohier
Thomas Bohier (fr), Chamberlain to King Charles VIII of France, purchased the castle from Pierre Marques in 1513 (this leads to 2013 being considered the 500th anniversary of the castle: MDXIII–MMXIII.) Bohier demolished the castle, though its 15th-century keep was left standing, and built an entirely new residence between 1515 and 1521. The work was overseen by his wife Katherine Briçonnet, who delighted in hosting French nobility, including King Francis I on two occasions.
Diane de Poitiers
In 1535 the château was seized from Bohier's son by King Francis I of France for unpaid debts to the Crown; after Francis' death in 1547, Henry II offered the château as a gift to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, who became fervently attached to the château along the river. In 1555 she commissioned Philibert de l'Orme to build the arched bridge joining the château to its opposite bank. Diane then oversaw the planting of extensive flower and vegetable gardens along with a variety of fruit trees. Set along the banks of the river, but buttressed from flooding by stone terraces, the exquisite gardens were laid out in four triangles.
Diane de Poitiers was the unquestioned mistress of the castle, but ownership remained with the crown until 1555, when years of delicate legal maneuvers finally yielded possession to her.
Catherine de' Medici
After King Henry II died in 1559, his strong-willed widow and regent Catherine de' Medici forced Diane to exchange it for the Château Chaumont. Queen Catherine then made Chenonceau her own favorite residence, adding a new series of gardens.
As Regent of France, Catherine spent a fortune on the château and on spectacular nighttime parties. In 1560, the first ever fireworks display seen in France took place during the celebrations marking the ascension to the throne of Catherine's son Francis II. The grand gallery, which extended along the existing bridge to cross the entire river, was dedicated in 1577. Catherine also added rooms between the chapel and the library on the east side of the corps de logis, as well as a service wing on the west side of the entry courtyard.
Catherine considered an even greater expansion of the château, shown in an engraving published by Jacques Androuet du Cerceau in the second (1579) volume of his book Les plus excellents bastiments de France. If this project had been executed, the current château would have been only a small portion of an enormous manor laid out "like pincers around the existing buildings."
Louise de Lorraine
On Catherine's death in 1589 the château went to her daughter-in-law, Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont, wife of King Henry III. At Chenonceau Louise was told of her husband's assassination in 1589 and she fell into a state of depression, spending the remainder of her days wandering aimlessly along the château's corridors dressed in mourning clothes amidst somber black tapestries stitched with skulls and crossbones.
Duc de Vendôme
Henri IV obtained Chenonceau for his mistress Gabrielle d'Estrées by paying the debts of Catherine de' Medici, which had been inherited by Louise and were threatening to ruin her. In return Louise left the château to her niece Françoise de Lorraine, at that time six years old and betrothed to the four-year-old César de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme, the natural son of Gabrielle d'Estrées and Henri IV. The château belonged to the Duc de Vendôme and his descendants for more than a hundred years. The Bourbons had little interest in the château, except for hunting. In 1650, Louis XIV was the last king of the ancien régime to visit.
The Château de Chenonceau was bought by the Duke of Bourbon in 1720. Little by little, he sold off all of the castle's contents. Many of the fine statues ended up at Versailles.
Louise Dupin
In 1733 the estate was sold for 130,000 livres to a wealthy squire named Claude Dupin (fr). His wife, Louise Dupin, was the natural daughter of the financier Samuel Bernard and the actress Manon Dancourt (fr), whose mother was also an actress who had joined the Comédie Française in 1684. Louise Dupin was "an intelligent, beautiful, and highly cultivated woman who had the theater in her blood." Claude Dupin, a widower, had a son, Louis Claude, from his first wife Marie Aurore of Saxony, who was the grandmother of George Sand (born Aurore Dupin).
Louise Dupin's literary salon at Chenonceau attracted such leaders of the Enlightenment as the writers Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Fontenelle, the naturalist Buffon, the playwright Marivaux, the philosopher Condillac, as well as the Marquise de Tencin and the Marquise du Deffand. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was Dupin's secretary and tutored her son. Rousseau, who worked on Émile at Chenonceau, wrote in his Confessions: "We played music there and staged comedies. I wrote a play in verse entitled Sylvie's Path, after the name of a path in the park along the Cher."
The widowed Louise Dupin saved the château from destruction during the French Revolution, preserving it from being destroyed by the Revolutionary Guard because "it was essential to travel and commerce, being the only bridge across the river for many miles."
Marguerite Pelouze
In 1864 Marguerite Pelouze (fr ), a rich heiress, acquired the château. Around 1875 she commissioned the architect Félix Roguet to restore it. He almost completely renewed the interior and removed several of Catherine de' Medici's additions, including the rooms between the library and the chapel and her alterations to the north facade, among which were figures of Hercules, Pallas, Apollo, and Cybele that were moved to the park. With the money Marguerite spent on these projects and elaborate parties, her finances were depleted, and the château was seized and sold.
Recent history
José-Emilio Terry, a Cuban millionaire, acquired Chenonceau from Madame Pelouze in 1891. Terry sold it in 1896 to a family member, Francisco Terry. In 1913, the château was acquired by Henri Menier, a member of the Menier family, famous for their chocolates, who still own it to this day.
During World War I Gaston Menier set up the gallery to be used as a hospital ward. During the Second World War the château was bombed by the Germans in June 1940. It was also a means of escaping from the Nazi occupied zone on one side of the River Cher to the "free" zone on the opposite bank. Occupied by the Germans, the château was bombed by the Allies on 7 June 1944, when the chapel was hit and its windows destroyed.
In 1951, the Menier family entrusted the château's restoration to Bernard Voisin, who brought the dilapidated structure and the gardens (ravaged in the Cher River flood in 1940) back to a reflection of its former glory.

Château de Chenonceau

The Château de Montrichard is a ruined 11th century castle located at the heart of the commune of Montrichard in the Loir-et-Cher département of France. The property of the commune, it has been listed since 1877 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.
The castle was constructed by Foulques Nerra, Count of Anjou, and rebuilt in the 12th century. Henri IV ordered it to be dismantled in 1589. From the top of the keep visitors have a good view of the town of Montrichard and the Cher valley.

Château de Montrichard

Another Renaissance masterpiece in the Loire Valley, Chaumont Castle, with its pale stone and sloping slate roofs, dominates the Loire River and the village of Chaumont-sur-Loire, just a stone’s throw from the towns of Blois (17 km) and Amboise (20 km).

Until the 15th century, it was a medieval castle belonging to the Counts of Blois, which is revealed by the two massive round guard towers at the entrance of the building. In the 10th century, Eudes I, Count of Blois, built the castle of Chaumont on a site overlooking the Loire River (‘Calvus mons’ or ‘bald mount’) which would protect the city of Blois from the raids of Foulques Nerra, Count of Anjou.

In 1455, Louis XI ordered the dismantlement of Chaumont Castle as an act of punishment against Pierre of Amboise who led a rebellion against the King’s authority during the “Ligue du bien public” (League of Public Good). His son, Charles I of Amboise rebuilt the fortress from 1465 to 1481 (North and West wings) in a Gothic defensive style, with a wall-walk, machicolation and dry moats. Later on, the feudal shapes of Chaumont Castle were softened by conical roofs and Renaissance elements. From 1498 to 1510, Charles II of Chaumont Amboise, assisted by his uncle, Cardinal Georges of Amboise, Archbishop of Rouen, continued the renovation work in a style influenced by the Renaissance, while keeping the feudal structure of the castle: South wing, gatehouse, East wing and chapel and large staircase in the courtyard that was almost square. The angles were cardinal at four points, same as Chambord. In 1501, Charles II was made governor of the Milanese by Louis XII. His appointment in Italy led Charles II to bring back to the Loire Valley the new fashionable style of Renaissance, hence the Italianate features appearing at Chaumont Castle. During this time a frieze showing two interlaced ‘C’s representing Charles II of Chaumont Amboise and his wife Catherine of Chauvigny was engraved on the façade of the Castle’s external walls, as well as a burning mount (chaud mont).

In 1550, Catherine de Medicis, Queen of France, came into possession of Chaumont Castle. There she entertained numerous astrologers, among them the sorcerer Ruggieri, her adviser on the occult arts. Legend has it that Catherine de Medicis used to retire with her adviser in a secret hideaway where they would conduct magic rites and interrogate the stars about the future.

Ten years later, the estate was offered by Catherine de Medicis, then widow of King Henri II, to Diane de Poitiers, the Kings’ mistress, to take her revenge on her husband’s adultery. Her plan was to exchange it for Chenonceau Castle which the King had given Diane in 1547, the year of his coronation. Diane was forced to give Chenonceau away for Chaumont but only stay a short while in her new place, before retiring to Anet Castle for the rest of her life.

Chaumont Castle changed hands many times until the 18th century when the chatelain Bertin ordered the demolition of the north wing in order to have a better view of the Loire. Remarkable stables were commissioned in 1877 to architect Paul-Ernest Sanson. The same architect was asked by Prince Henri Amédée de Broglie to work on a comprehensive restoration of the castle. The stables were amongst the first in Europe to be equipped with electric arc lighting, at the same time as the Opera Garnier and the Paris Town Hall. They reflected the conditions of wealthy aristocracy at the end of the 19th century.

For 40 years, Chaumont Castle saw extravagant parties and celebrations. Unfortunately, the Princess of Broglie was forced to sell the castle in 1938 to the State due to her financial problems. Since 2007, the entire estate of Chaumont-sur-Loire has been transferred to the administrative region of Centre and covers 21 hectares comprising the castle, the stables, the ornamental garden, a vast woodland and meadows. Chaumont Castle is currently a museum and hosts a Garden Festival from April to October where contemporary garden designers display their work in an English-style garden.

Many rooms, stairways and interior features of Chaumont Castle were remodeled or added in the Renaissance style in the 19th century.

The visit of Chaumont’s interiors lead the visitors through the Guard Room, the necessary passageway to the Royal Chamber. It was also used as a training area for the guards and provided a place from which to watch the exterior of the castle and still keep an eye on the interior courtyard. The bedroom of Diane de Poitiers is named in reference to King Henri II’s mistress and was furnished by the Prince de Broglie at the end of the 19th century. It contains various art objects related to Diane de Poitiers. The Council Chamber exhibits majolica tiling from the 17th century, bought by the de Broglie family. The bedroom of Catherine de Medicis was named so by Prince de Broglie, but it was an apartment in its own right in the 15th and 16th centuries. The bedroom of Ruggieri, has been called so after Catherine de Medicis’ appointed astrologer, and is referred to as such because of the sign on the mantelpiece, considered to be a cabalistic sign. The beautiful main spiral staircase shows the gradual influence of the Renaissance style from Italy over Gothic style around 1500.


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Château de Chaumont

The château de Nitray was built in the XVIth century to replace an older castle, probably dating back the XIIIth century.
« In 1250, this feud belonged to knight William du Plessis; in 1263, to Pierre de la Brosse to whom it was given by his uncle, Jean de la Brosse, Canon of Le Mans; in 1453, to Jean Lopin, who, by Act of March 11th, gave the “high Justice” of this feud to Aymar de la Rochefoucauld, Lord of Montbazon; in 1516, to Emery Lopin, master of requests of the Queen Mother, Mayor of Tours; in 1531, to Jean Binet; in 1560, to Emery Binet; in 1580, to Marie Binet, wife of Charles Daen; in 1600, to Pierre Binet; in 1642, to François Daen; in 1680, to César Daen; in 1728, to Mathieu Duchamp; in 1789, to Philippe-Jean-Baptiste Mignon, Crown prosecutor at the Tours finance office; in 1807, to General of Empire Jean-Jacques Liébert. »
Excerpts from “Nitray à Athée-sur-Cher” by André MONTOUX.
Its development is linked to the history of France since Aimery Lopin, Mayor of Tours and Master of requests of Louise de Savoie, mother of François 1st, decided the building of this castle.
Seventeen families have owned the castle since the building of the castle, in particular the family of General of Empire Jean-Jacques Liébert from 1807 to 1922.
On October 1st, 1955, the estate was sold on execution at the request of Mr. Georges-Marie Dermy who pursued Mr. Taillandier, industrial residing in Cameroon, who seems not to have paid the whole price settled in 1953. The starting price was made at 14,500,000 old French francs by public auction. As no purchaser stood, the estate was purchased on October 17th, 1955 by the family Brebart d’Halluin. Etienne d’Halluin implemented the first renovations: roof of the castle, the dovecote and the hunting lodge and then reorganized the vineyard to bring it to 15 hectares.
Since 1989, Earl Hubert de l’Espinay, son-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. d’Halluin, has been pursuing the work of his father-in-law transforming the sale of wine from bulk to bottle, improving vinification and creating two other activities to improve the estate returns on income: a tourist activity and room rental activity.
Today the château de Nitray welcomes 8 000 visitors a year, including many French and foreign tourists as well as business seminars, wedding type family receptions, birthdays, family meetings, etc.
http://www.chateau-nitray.fr

Château de Nitray

The Château de Montpoupon is a castle in the commune of Céré-la-Ronde in the Indre-et-Loire département of France. It is situated to the east of Tours, 10 km south of Montrichard in a forested valley.
History
Originally a mediaeval fortress, the castle was altered by the lords of Prie and Buzançais. The postern was constructed in the 16th century.
Since the middle of 19th century, the castle has belonged to the Motte Saint Pierre family. It houses one of three French museums dedicated to hunting with dogs.
It has been listed since 1930 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.

Château de Montpoupon

Château du Gué-Péan is a French castle in Monthou-sur-Cher in the department of Loir-et-Cher, in region Centre-Val de Loire.The presence of a Roman road near the castle, which crossed the stream by a ford, gave the first name to the locality: the paid ford, which later becomes the Gué-Péan. This is the fifteenth century that the Alaman family bought the manor and built the castle. The manor was built in châtellenie by François Alaman, vassal of the lord of Saint Aignan. His son toddler who finished building the castle. In October 1676, Charlotte Alaman sells the Gué-Péan and outbuildings to François de la Motte Villebret Count Aspremont. It is then Amelot family takes possession of the castle for 62 years. Then comes the family Cassin, owner of the Gué-Péan in 1832. They are the first to live there. The orangery was born in 1885 and the castle and has a winter garden. On 7 March 1952, much of the castle is classified historic monument. In 1961 the castle was sold to Mr. Kéguelin Rozières and later to Mr Laming. (Architect of Futuroscope).
http://www.frenchchateau.net/chateaux-of-centre/chateau-du-gue-pean.html

Château du Gué-Péan

The Château de la Bourdaisière is a 19th-century county house in the Commune of Montlouis-sur-Loire, in the Indre-et-Loire département of France.
The site of the present house dates back to the 14th century when it was a fortress belonging to Jean Meingre. Over the next few generations, the property changed hands several times, until 1520 when King Francis I arranged for construction of a new castle on the site. Built for his mistress, Marie Gaudin, the wife of Philibert Babou, Superintendent of Finances for France, after her death, the property would remain in the family's hands.
Marie Gaudin's granddaughter, Gabrielle d'Estrées, was born in the château and would herself grow up to become mistress to another king, Henry IV of France.
In 1775, the château was partially destroyed by order of King Louis XV's most powerful Minister, Étienne François, Duc de Choiseul. Étienne François wanted to use the stones from Château de la Bourdaisière for the construction of his Pagoda at his estate in Chanteloup, near Amboise.
Lying in ruins, in 1786 the land was sold to Louise Adélaïde of Penthièvre Bourbon. In 1802 the property was acquired by Baron Joseph Angelier who undertook a massive reconstruction of Château Bourdaisière. The interior work would be completed by his son, Gustave Angelier. Although a small château, when compared to the great châteaux of the Kings and some of those built by other wealthy nobles, it is a magnificent Renaissance construction fronted by traditional French gardens.
The Castle was sold in 1923 to a wealthy American, Mrs. de Mérinville who sold it in 1938. During World War II, the château was occupied by the Nazis. After the war, a lack of funds by its owner saw it become severely run down. In 1959, its contents were auctioned off and government turned the château into a home for the elderly.
It was sold again in 1988 to an attorney, François Michaud, who owned it until 1991 when it was acquired by its current owners, the Princes of Broglie who undertook significant improvements and modernization. In 2003, Château de la Bourdaisière gained considerable attention in North America, as the primary site for the television show Joe Millionaire. In 2011, the chateaus gardens were finalist for the European Garden Award bestowed by the European Garden Heritage Network
The château was listed as a monument historique in 1947.